BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's soccer team netted its first goals of the season in a come-from-behind 3-1 victory over the visiting Utica College Pioneers Saturday night at Endicott Stadium to wrap up day two of the North Shore Invitational and secured the Gulls' first win of the season.
Senior forward Shane Ruffing (Rochester, N.Y.) broke open a scoreless match with a breakaway ball that he deposited into the back left corner of an open net in the 11th minute to give Utica an early lead. Junior midfielder Matt Beljan (Bedminster, PA) and sophomore midfielder Bita Gazashvili (Tiblisi, Georgia) assisted Ruffing on the play.
The Pioneers took that 1-0 advantage to the half, but the margin did not stand as Endicott rode a second half surge behind 12 fired shots. The Gulls celebrated rapid fire goals from senior forward Diego Slobotzky (Mexico City, Mexico) in the 54th minute (unassisted) followed by a penalty kick goal by senior midfielder Shintaroh Itoh (Nerima, Tokyo, Japan) in the 55th minute to take the lead.
Sophomore forward Diego Maillo (Plantation, Fla.) added the insurance goal for the Gulls on a header finding the back right corner of the net, with the assist coming on a corner kick feed by sophomore midfielder Brendan McLaughlin (Colchester, Conn.) to round out the scoring.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott netted three goals in the second half for the first time since Nov. 12, 2014 against Elms College in which the Gulls put four in the back of the net.
- Utica has now been outscored 8-3 by opponents on the season, with five goals given up in the second half.
- Itoh led the Gulls' attack with five shots (two on goal). His PK goal was the first of his Endicott career and his first career game-winning goal for Endicott.
- Maillo was second on the team with three shots, his most in a single game to date as a member of the Gulls, and most shots in a single game of his career (Member of Pine Manor 2014-2015 team).
- Junior goalkeeper Nick Weinstein (Trumbull,Conn.) made one save and earned his first collegiate win in goal for Endicott.
FOR THE FOES
- Ruffing scored his second goal of the season for the Pioneers and paced the team with three shots (two on goal).
- Beljan earned his first assist of the season.
- Gazashvili picked up his second assist of the season.
- Senior goalkeeper Nick Hallett (Adams, N.Y.) recorded six saves, his second-most so far this season.
NOTES
- Coach Calabrese has ties to Utica College, having served as head coach from 2008-2010. In that time, he compiled a 15-17-2 record as a first time head coach and set program records in wins (12), goals scored (55) and points (153).
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (1-0-1) hosts No. 1 nationally-ranked Tufts University on Tuesday, September 8 for a 7:00 p.m. match on the home turf. Utica College (0-3-0) returns home following the North Shore Invitational to host SUNY Poly on Wednesday, September 9 at 5:00 p.m. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
North Shore Invitational All-Tournament Team
Calvin
Matt Hinds, So. Midfielder
David Waterson, Jr. Defender
Stephan Hooker, Jr. Midfielder
Niko Giantsopoulos, Sr. Goalkeeper
Endicott
Ryan Cohane, Jr. Defender
Shintaroh Itoh, Sr. Midfielder
Brendan McLaughlin, So. Midfielder
Carter Ocko, So. Defender
Gordon
Ian Burkhart, Fr. Midfielder
Caleb Cole, Jr. Midfielder
Ben Gradert, So. Midfielder
Utica
Shane Ruffing, Sr. Forward
Matt Beljan, Jr. Midfielder